Synopsis

When Evangeline is sent to live in a small mill town in Northern England as a schoolteacher in 1871, she finds herself struggling to fit in with an unfamiliar culture. Raised with the high-class Victorian values and ideals of a sophisticated upbringing, she is unprepared for the poverty she finds in the gritty factory town of Smeatley, where the locals speak with a hard-to-understand Yorkshire accent and struggle to thrive with few resources or opportunities.

Though she has no training as a teacher, she must prove herself successful before her grandfather will release her substantial inheritance to her and allow her to be reunited with her younger sister, the last remaining member of her family after a fever claimed the lives of her parents and brothers.

Evangeline’s sudden change in circumstances is complicated when her aunt—a woman who values class distinctions more than her family relationships—forbids her from acknowledging any connection to her or to her grandfather, Mr. Farr—the man who owns nearly the entire town. For the first time in her life, Evangeline is truly alone.

Heartbroken, she turns to the one person in town who has shown her kindness—an Irish brick mason, Dermot, and his son, Ronan. Despite the difference in their classes and backgrounds, Evangeline and Dermot become friends, due in part to her ability to connect with Ronan, whose behavior requires special attention. The boy is uncomfortable around strangers and rarely even speaks to the other children in town. He often fixates on details other people ignore, and he adheres to specific, self-made rules that give his life order and structure; for example, Dermot’s coat must be hung on a specific peg next to the door.

Evangeline attempts to prove herself a worthy teacher and earn the respect of her hard-to-understand students. Determined to find a way to introduce them to “proper English” while still honoring their unique language and culture, she enlists the help of a local family to write down familiar stories in the Yorkshire vernacular. Because of her efforts, the students and their families warm to Evangeline and she continues to look for ways to give the children a chance to become more than factory workers in the local cotton mill.

When the town learns of her upper-class status, Evangeline must work twice as hard to win back their trust–especially Dermot’s. In the end, Evangeline and Dermot discover that, even though they come from different social spheres, together they can overcome social prejudices, make a positive difference in the lives of even the humblest people, and enjoy the strength that comes when two hearts find each other.

Review

Life was very different centuries ago and women were taught that their place was to be quiet and not rock the boat. At least that is how Evangeline feels when she loses almost all of her family and is forced to a small town by her Aunt and told she was to be the teacher for the children of the town – even though she had never taught before. But her kind and caring heart have her make the best of the situation and she comes to realize she is actually a great teacher despite her Aunt’s hatred for her and determination to make Evangeline’s life miserable.

I always enjoy reading books set in a time that I am not familiar with so that I can imagine what life would be like and wonder how I would handle life in that time period. I am fairly strong-willed, like Evangeline, so imagine that I would react much like she did with the children she taught, her family, and the townspeople.

There is a romance too between Evangeline and Dermot. Two people that you might never have expected to fall in love, but it works for them. It takes some doing, and I was quite amused at Dermot’s “rule” of only one knock on his door per day.

There are some “evil” characters, but all makes some sense near the end when the truth comes out. It does not justify the actions of these people, but it does make some sense.

We give this 4 paws up!